Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

April 15-21, 201324 DCPs United Kingdom Edition Admin Supplies Safety Printing Signage Furniture In-Surgery To order call 01903 858910 or visit www.admor.co.uk From reception to surgery, we have it covered The 2013 Admor catalogue covers every aspect of running a dental practice. It includes practice printing, reception furniture, admin systems, stationery, signage and even in-surgery consumables - all delivered to your door in super quick time. So whether communicating with your patients, ensuring your surgery looks modern and stylish or managing your filing, we make running your practice much easier. Call us or visit our website to request a copy of our latest Product Catalogue. Its the only dental product catalogue your practice will ever need. T he concept of senior colleagues supporting the work of more jun- ior colleagues, by sharing the benefits of their hands-on ex- perience is a time-honoured activity. To take this a stage further as part of their induc- tion processes, an increasing number of practices are cre- ating buddying relationships. Their aim is to formalise a skills transfer process which previously happened in an adhoc style. In many cases guidance from a senior col- league has been very much valued by employers and em- ployees alike. This article ex- plores ways to build a mentor- ing strategy for your practice, which will secure increased benefits from these beneficial interactions. I am often asked if men- toring is just another name for coaching. The answer is that although there is signifi- cant crossover in these inter- actions, essentially mentors must have actual hands-on experience and expertise in the work role of their men- tee. Whereas, in coaching the expertise is coaching rather than applied skills. In this way many business coaches have not ‘walked in the shoes’ of their clients. Because the den- tal team mentor’s skills are in the delivery of dental care, to support their work the prac- tice needs to create a mentor- ing strategy and provide train- ing and support. In this way all parties are able to secure measurable benefits through mentoring. Mentoring success de- pends upon numerous fac- tors, not least finding a best fit mentor and mentee match. A structured mentoring pro- cess must be managed in exactly the same way as all other practice activities. This begins with a clear vision to create the design, implemen- tation, support and evaluation processes for your mentoring scheme. Successful mentoring is dependent upon the partici- pation of senior colleagues as mentors and also as men- tees. This is a prime exam- ple of leading from the top. The best mentoring schemes start small and grow gradu- ally, stimulated by enthusi- asm, positive examples and organisational support. Here is some guidance for the crea- tion of an effective mentoring scheme at your practice: • Establish the purpose of the scheme - Define who will be involved, what they will do and the expected results. Be- gin by finding out what men- toring is already happening on an informal basis and as- sess how valued this format of learning and development is at present. Mentoring strategy in dental teams Glenys Bridges discusses mentoring ‘I am often asked if mentoring is just another name for coaching. The answer is that al- though there is significant crosso- ver in these interac- tions, essentially mentors must have actual hands-on ex- perience and exper- tise in the work role of their mentee’